Style guide — license explainer
TopicFrom the PointSav Documentation
Editorial standards for license explainer documents (PROSE genre) in the platform: lede discipline, permits/requires/forbids structure, where binding text lives, and the distinction between an explainer and the license itself.
A license explainer translates a legal instrument into plain terms. It is not the license. If the explainer and the license conflict, the license wins.
A license explainer (PROSE genre) is a plain-language companion to a formal license document. It helps a reader understand what the license permits, requires, and forbids without having to parse legal text. An explainer is not legally binding — it is a reading aid. The binding text is always the formal license document linked from the explainer. For the governance layer that controls license propagation across repositories, see disclosure-substrate. This article is the human-facing standard; the machine-readable counterpart lives in service-disclosure/templates/license-explainer.toml.
[edit]When to use this template
Write a license explainer when:
- A repository carries a license that affects contributors or consumers in non-obvious ways.
- The audience includes people who are not legal professionals.
- The license has conditions (attribution, share-alike, CLA requirement) that need to be understood to comply.
The explainer is not a substitute for legal review. For agreements that bind individuals or organisations to specific obligations, route through the responsible governance party (factory-release-engineering or the system administrator at open.source@pointsav.com) before publishing.
[edit]Structure
The template requires five sections in this order:
| Section | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Lede | One to two sentences: what license this is and what it is designed to accomplish. No legal jargon. |
| What it permits | A bulleted list of what this license explicitly allows. Plain verbs: "Use commercially", "Modify the source", "Distribute copies". |
| What it requires | A bulleted list of conditions. Plain verbs: "Include the copyright notice", "State changes made", "Provide access to source". |
| What it forbids | A bulleted list of restrictions. Plain verbs: "Hold the author liable", "Use the trademark without permission". Omit this section if the license forbids nothing. |
| Where binding text lives | A direct link to the full formal license document and a statement that the formal text governs wherever the explainer and the formal text disagree. |
[edit]Register and tone
Plain English. No "aforementioned," "notwithstanding," or "herein." The goal is comprehension, not impressiveness.
Sentence-length budget: mean around eighteen words, maximum thirty. Bullet items are imperative phrases beginning with a verb, not full sentences. The Lede may be two sentences maximum.